Geography

The capital of Senegal, Dakar, is the westernmost point in Africa. The
country, slightly smaller than South Dakota, surrounds Gambia on three
sides and is bordered on the north by Mauritania, on the east by Mali, and
on the south by Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.

Senegal is mainly a low-lying country, with a semidesert area in the
north and northeast and forests in the southwest. The largest rivers
include the Senegal in the north and the Casamance in the southern
tropical climate region.

Government

Multiparty democractic republic.

History

The Toucouleur people, among the early inhabitants of Senegal,
converted to Islam in the 11th century, although their religious beliefs
retained strong elements of animism. The Portuguese had some stations on
the banks of the Senegal River in the 15th century, and the first French
settlement was made at St.-Louis in 1659. Gorée Island became a major
center for the Atlantic slave trade through the 1700s, and millions of
Africans were shipped from there to the New World. The British took parts
of Senegal at various times, but the French gained possession in 1840 and
made it part of French West Africa in 1895. In 1946, together with other
parts of French West Africa, Senegal became an overseas territory of
France. On June 20, 1960, it formed an independent republic federated with
Mali, but the federation collapsed within four months.

Although Senegal is neither a large nor a strategically located
country, it has nonetheless played a prominent role in African politics
since its independence. As a black nation that is more than 90% Muslim,
Senegal has been a diplomatic and cultural bridge between the Islamic and
black African worlds. Senegal has also maintained closer economic,
political, and cultural ties to France than probably any other former
French African colony.

Senegal's first president, Léopold Sédar Senghor, towered over the
country's political life until his voluntary retirement in 1981. He
replaced multiparty democracy with an authoritarian regime. An acclaimed
poet, Senghor sought to become a “black-skinned Frenchman,” a quest he
ultimately discovered to be impossible. An advocate of “African
socialism,” Senghor increased government involvement in the economy
through a series of four-year plans.

In 1973 Senegal and six other nations created the West African Economic
Community. When rising oil prices and fluctuations in the price of
peanuts, a major export crop, ruined the economy in the 1970s, Senghor
reversed course. He emphasized new industries such as tourism and fishing.
Politically, the so-called passive revolution allowed limited
opposition.